AWS CDK "bootstrap stack version ... required ... found" too low in CI

By Daniel Zoghalchali·Latchkey

CDK pins a minimum bootstrap stack version for each CLI release. Your environment was bootstrapped by an older CLI, so the deployed toolkit version is below what the current synth/deploy needs.

What this error means

cdk deploy fails with "This CDK deployment requires bootstrap stack version \"X\", found \"Y\". Please run \"cdk bootstrap\"." It usually follows a CDK CLI upgrade in CI.

cdk

MyAppStack: This CDK deployment requires bootstrap stack version '6', found '4'.
Please run 'cdk bootstrap'.

Common causes

A CLI upgrade outran the bootstrap stack

CI now runs a newer aws-cdk that requires a higher bootstrap template version than the one currently deployed in the account.

The toolkit stack was never re-bootstrapped

Bootstrap templates evolve (new permissions, lifecycle rules). An old CDKToolkit lacks fields the new CLI expects.

How to fix it

Re-run bootstrap with the current CLI

Bootstrapping again upgrades the toolkit stack in place to the required version.

Terminal

cdk bootstrap aws://123456789012/us-east-1

Pin the CDK CLI to match the bootstrap

If you cannot re-bootstrap immediately, pin the CLI to a version compatible with the deployed toolkit.

Terminal

npm install --save-dev aws-cdk@2.140.0

How to prevent it

Re-bootstrap target environments after upgrading the CDK CLI.
Keep the CLI version pinned in package.json so upgrades are deliberate.
Run a bootstrap step before deploy on long-lived accounts.

Frequently asked questions

What causes ""bootstrap stack version ... required""?